Labor & Employment Law

NFL Players: Injuries Reach New Highs in 2010

By James Parks

Almost two-thirds of NFL players suffered injuries during the 2010 season, a significant jump from the previous eight years, according to the NFL Players Association (NFLPA). In its first annual report on the ?Dangers of the Game of Football,? the NFLPA found the average number of player injuries jumped from 3.2 to 3.7 per week per team, while the share of players injured increased to 63 percent compared with an average of 59 percent over the previous eight years.

Dr. Thom Mayer, the NFLPA?s medical director, said players are facing significant risk to their health and their careers each time they step on the field.

We know that injuries are part of the game, but the more data and information we can gather on player health and safety, the more likely we are to make the game safer. Player contracts are not guaranteed, even as injury rates rise, which means careers face sudden ends each time the ball is snapped.

These findings are significant because NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced in October 2010 that players would be responsible for any health care costs incurred during a league lockout. Despite making millions on the backs of players, the owners, most of whom are super rich, are threatening to lock out the players next season if they don?t agree to givebacks, totaling a staggering $1 billion, including salary cuts.

The average career length of an NFL player is just 3.4 years because of the physical toll on their bodies. Yet under the current collective bargaining contract that expires in March, players can be released from their teams after sustaining a serious injury and they only get five years of health care after they retire.

The report also shows the severity of injuries increased in 2010, with 16 percent of all injuries requiring placement on the injured reserve list, which means the player cannot play for the rest of the season. Over the past eight years, only 11 percent of players, on average, were placed on injured reserve. The percentage of players suffering at least one concussion also went up from 4 percent in 2009 to nearly 6 percent in 2010. The percentage of players suffering season-long injuries also reached an all-time high in 2010.

Cleveland Browns linebacker Scott Fujita, who went on injured reserve in the latter part of the 2010 season due to a knee injury, said the danger of the game needs to be considered during future contract negotiations.

An NFL football field isn?t a typical workplace, and we know we are facing significant risk when we play this game. We?re talking about more than 350 players going on injured reserve during the course of the regular season, which is more than any year in the previous decade.

Check out the 2010 injury report here.

Full post as published by AFL-CIO NOW BLOG on February 01, 2011 (boomark / email).